Soul of a People  

Among the projects developed by the  Federal Writers’ Project were the travel guides created for every state. In that spirit, LPLS and the MTSU History Department have developed a tour called the New Deal in Murfreesboro.

Murfreesboro and Rutherford County were like many southern communities during the Great Depression.  Money and jobs were scarce, but most residents lived on farms where basic needs for shelter and nourishment could be met.   

The alphabet agencies of the New Deal -- CWA, PWA, CCC, WPA, and NYA -- carried out both relief and recovery projects in the county.  Some projects were large, like the Veterans Administration hospital or rural electrification.  Most projects were small, like community sewing projects, school repair, a football stadium at the state teachers college, or building a new National Guard armory and a scout lodge.  Together, in partnership with the community, the New Deal programs built a foundation for a better tomorrow in Murfreesboro and Rutherford County.  This tour takes you to many of those New Deal projects that shaped our community.

Brochures of this tour will be available later this month at Linebaugh Library and at the Heritage Center in Murfreesboro.